River Restoration
Healthy rivers support healthy fish and healthy communities. NRCM is working with the Wabanaki Nations and other conservation partners to restore the health of Maine’s majestic Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers so that we can bring back sea-run fish, including endangered Atlantic salmon, and support local economies.
Maine’s Legacy of Bringing Rivers Back to Life: A Win-Win for Wildlife, Outdoor Recreation, and the Economy
In Maine, we know from experience that when we remove dams, native fish and wildlife return in record numbers, injecting new life into rivers that helps revive riverfront communities and supports commercial and recreational fisheries.
Dam removals on the Penobscot River in the mid-2000s have boosted fishing and paddling.
After the removal of the Edwards Dam in 1999 and the Fort Halifax Dam on the Sebasticook River in 2008, the lower Kennebec River has surged back to life:
- The run of river herring is the largest in North America, exceeding three million fish annually
. - A large riverfront park and access to a free-flowing river have helped spur an economic revival in Augusta’s downtown.
- The river supports good recreational fisheries for shad and commercial fisheries for alewife and blueback herring.
- The largest concentrations of Bald Eagles on the East Coast flock to the Sebasticook River.
The Penobscot Nation as well as organizations like Maine Rivers, Downeast Salmon Federation, Atlantic Salmon Federation, and TNC Maine are also dedicated to restoring sea-run fish, including endangered Atlantic salmon, by restoring healthy rivers. These groups are working hard with local partners on restoration projects for smaller rivers and streams all across the state.
